Two new Thai airlines set to take off in 2020

[buksida]

Thai Eastar Jet and Thai Summer Airways -- two new airlines -- are expected to get off the ground next year, according to Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) director-general Chula Sukmanop.

Thai Eastar is a joint venture between Thai investors and South Korean carrier Eastar Jet, while the latter is between Thai and China investors.

Chula said that Thai Eastar Jet was expected to obtain the CAAT's air operator certificate next month. CAAT is in the process of issuing a certificate to Thai Summer.

He added that both carriers could recruit 100 per cent Thai pilots given that CAAT's current Air Operating Licence does not set the ratio of foreign pilots the carriers have to hire.

According to Thai Summer Airways’ homepage, it is a regional low-cost airline registered in Thailand. It was established in early 2018 and is scheduled to be officially opened in January 2020.

The company is headquartered in Bangkok, and its operations base is located at the U-Tapao Rayong-Pattaya International Airport.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30379707

[PeteC]

Where will these new local airlines be getting their pilots from?

Surplus of Locally Trained Pilots in Thailand and Malaysia
by William Dennis
December 11, 2019, 9:41 AM

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news ... d-malaysia

While many international airlines face a shortage of pilots, hundreds of fresh graduates from flying schools in Thailand and Malaysia have encountered severe difficulty securing employment with the respective local carriers. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) estimates that 220 graduates with commercial pilots’ licenses remain jobless.

According to the president of the government-backed Civil Aviation Training Centre (CATC) in Bangkok, Priya Atmungkun, the number of jobless graduate pilots has increased to between 600 and 700 as training programs in the country have mushroomed in recent years.

Priya said many of the flying schools do not meet international standards, however, making it extremely difficult for the new graduates to secure employment.

CATC cannot say how many flying schools now operate in Thailand.

Rather than hiring self-funded pilot candidates, Thai Airways International and wholly-owned subsidiary low-cost carrier Nok Air send pilot candidates to flying schools chosen by the carriers, allowing them to track the progress of cadets until they complete their training.

Across the border in Malaysia, the number of jobless pilots has declined in recent years, although slow network expansion and local carriers’ preference for experienced pilots with current type ratings continue to make finding work for graduates of local schools difficult. Meanwhile, according to CAAM official Aziz Ibrahim, new pilots holding an Air Transport Pilot License (ATPL) must go through rigid pre-entry tests conducted by the respective airline before they gain employment and acknowledged that many candidates fail.

[uncle tom]

Will either of these airlines be using Hua Hin airport?

[Nereus]

Where will these new local airlines be getting their pilots from?

While many international airlines face a shortage of pilots, hundreds of fresh graduates from flying schools in Thailand and Malaysia have encountered severe difficulty securing employment with the respective local carriers. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) estimates that 220 graduates with commercial pilots’ licenses remain jobless.

The problem is, and always has been, simply flight hours. A pilot with a new commercial pilots licence(CPL),even with multi-engine and instrument ratings, is not employable by most airlines if they have less than at least 1,000 hours experience, many airlines a lot more. While a CPL can be used for co-pilot, or FO as they prefer to be called, most airlines will be looking for ATPL, which is a much higher standard of licence.